Pneumatic dual moting and lint cleaning air blast gin



J. J. WALLACE Oct. 6, 1953 PNEUMATIC DUAL MOTING AND LINT CLEANING AIR BLAST GIN Filed July 7, 1950 IN VE N TOR Mge/wlw@ MPH ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 6, 1953 PNEUMATIC vDUAL MOTIN G AND LINT .CLEANING AIR BLAST GIN J eirey J. Wallace, Amite, La., assignor to Gullett Gin Company, a corporation -of Louisiana Application July i7, 1950, Serial No. 172,548

(Cl. lil-'58) 7 Claims. l

This linvention relates to cotton gins of the air blast type and is an improvement of the gin described in my Patents No. 2,253,456, granted August 19, 1941, and No. 2,322,553, granted January 22, 1943.

In the patented gin the circumference of the saw cylinder from the point at which the saws emerge from between the ginning ribs, through an arc of somewhat more than 90 extends adjacent and in operative relation to the following agencies. At the top contiguous to the ginning ribs is a meting chamber into which motes are centrifugally thrown from the saws. A nozzle directed away from the saw cylinder toward a mote duct discharges .an air blast which entraine motes and carries them away vthrough said duct. Near the lower end of said arc there is a lint discharge duct through which a vacuum yis drawn. Above the lint discharge duct is a lint removing lnozzle which directs .a blast of airtangentlally over the saw teeth and .across the mouth of the lint duct, for dislodging lint from Vthe saw teeth and blowing it into the vmouth of the lint duct. Between the moting chamber and the lint removing nozzle there is `a longitudinal slot extending the length of the saw cylinder, giving access of atmosphere to the space between lthe moting chamber and the lint removing nozzle for filling the vacuum Acaused bythe counter current of air produced 'by the blastfrom the lint .removing nozzle, so as to keep lthe motes `from being drawn from the mote chamber by said counter current and carried by the lint removing blast into the lint duct.

In the aforementioned patented gin only those motes are removed which are large enough or suiiciently loose to be centrifugally thrown, at the speed of the saws, leaving the smaller motes in adherence to the lint engaged in the saw teeth, which are blown off with the lint by the blast from the lint removing nozzle and carried with the lint into the lint duct.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide the patented gin with an additional pressure blast nozzle anterior .to the lint removing nozzle, directed 'downwardly in such a manner as to deliver a blast chordally of the saws, between them, so directed as not to dislodge the lint from the saw teeth, but vto sweep against lthe sides of the wisps of lint carried by the teeth,

so as to brush therefrom the adherent small motes, carrying them past the mouth of the lint duct and into the anterior end of a mote chute in which suction is maintained.

vAnother object of the invention is to provide 2 i a gin in which the lint sweeping nozzle and lint removing nozzle derive their air rpressure from different sources, the ypressures of which are different or may be made different whereby the relative velocities of the blasts from said nozzles may be varied,r for regulating the counter eurrents of air created by said blasts, resulting in the mote laden blast `from said lint sweeping nozzle being vkept separated from the lint laden blast 4from the lint removing nozzle, also resulting in a sweeping action by said counter current upon the outside face of the lint column passing into the lint duct, for the further cleaning of the small motes from the lint at this point.

A further object of the vinvention is the provision of a slot 'between 'the lint duct and the adjacent wall ofthe mote chute below the mouth of the lint duct, said slot 'being open to atmosphere whereby air is drawn into the angie between `the'tangential lint removing blast and the chordal lint sweeping blast, keeping these blasts separated and satisfying any vacuum between them which lwould tend to draw Lthem together and contaminate the lint.

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description o1' a preferred and practical embodiment thereor proceeds.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of the following specitlcation, .and in which the same characters of'reference have been used to denote identical :parts:

Figure 1 is a vertical cross-section through a cotton gin embodying the principles of the inventiom' Figure 2 is a fragmentary section of the saw cylinder, taken along the line 2 2 of Figure l.

Referring now in detail to the several iigures, the gin comprises a frame I, in which a saw cylinder 2 is mounted having the vsaws 3, the saw cylinder being of conventional construction. The illustrated gin is of the huller typey the huller mechanism being represented bythe huller `cylinder l. kThe roll box is shown .at iiy there being a set of huller ribs l and ginning ribs l. The saws pass between the ribs of both sets, the seed with attached lint being Adragged through between the huller ribs, leaving the grosser portions of the hulls behind, and the lint being separated from the kseeds by the ginning ribs, the seeds gravltating downward between the sets of ribs, and being discharged at the 'lower front part of the gin. The lint mixed with mote material passes through the ginning ribs, the lint being looped about the abrupt leading yfaces of the teeth of the saws. The larger and looser motes are thrown off by centrifugal force into the mote chamber 8, as soon as the lint emerges from between the ginning ribs. The lint, together with the smaller and more adherent mote material, continues downward with the rotation of the saws. A discharge duct 9 is in communication with the meting chamber at the rear, and with a manifold I in which suction is maintained.

A conduit II leads from a source of air under pressure. The forward end I2 of this conduit extends the full width of the saw cylinder and is so constructed as to provide a moting nozzle I3 directed backwardly and toward the duct 9. It is also provided with a nozzle I4 directed downwardly and at such an angle as to discharge a blast of air chordally with respect to the saws 3, and between them.

The blast from the moting nozzle I3 entrains the motes from the moting chamber and drives them through the conduit 9 up to the point where the force of the blast is supplanted by the suction from the conduit I0 so that the motes do not collect in the duct 9, but are completely carried out by way of the manifold I0.

There is a manifold I5 which communicates with a blower preferably independent of the blower which supplies the manifold I I. The forward end I6 of the manifold I5 is also expanded to the full width of the saw cylinder, and has a downwardly directed lint removing nozzle I1. Below the manifold I6 is the lint duct I8, into which the lint is blown, the direction of flow being indicated by the arrow at the posterior end of said duct. The lint removing nozzle I1 blows a blast of air tangential to the saw teeth so as to dislodge the lint from the saw teeth and carry it to the mouth of the lint duct into which it is blown.

The nozzle I4 is not a continuous slot extendl ing across the saws. It consists of a series of projecting vents 28 registering with the spaces between the saws, the mouths of which are so shaped as to direct a divergent blast against the sides of adjacent saw blades just below the peripheral circumference of the saws so as to contact the lint carried by the saw teeth, sweeping against it on each side of the saws and freeing it from the smaller adherent mote material. The chordal relation of the blasts from the vents IB with respect to the saws prevents the blasts from dislodging the lint from the saw teeth. The nozzle I4 is imperforate directly above the saws, so as to avoid turbulence that would be created by the impingement of the blasts against the edge face of the saws, and which would result in some of the lint being prematurely blown off of the saw teeth.

The blasts from the vents 28 are confined between the saw blades, and therefore are not free to expand, so that the blasts retain their force and velocity, maintaining fairly well defined paths until they reach the underlying mote chute I9 which extends the full length of the saw cylinder and is of sufficient width to catch all of the mote material entrained in said blasts. The mote chute is under suction, being connected to the vacuum manifold which may be connected to the same suction fan as the mote duct I0.

Since the blast from the lint removing nozzle I1 is tangential, and that from the lint sweeping nozzle I4 is chordal, with respect to the saws, there is an angle between these blasts which it is important to be maintained to keep the motes that are in the chordal blast from contaminating the lint being carried by the lint removing blast toward the mouth of the lint duct. However, there is an inuence tending to bring these blasts together. This is the vacuous condition produced within the angle between said blasts, through the entrainment of air by the two blasts. It is important to defeat this vacuum. This is done by the provision of means for admitting air at atmospheric pressure to relieve the vacuum.

The adjacent walls 2I and 22 of the pressure conduits I2 and I6 are flat, spaced and parallel, forming a passage 23 open to atmosphere at one end, and at the other end opening adjacent the saw cylinder between the nozzles I4 and I1. A similar passage was present in the patented gin, but there was no nozzle I4, and the purpose of the air leak was to satisfy the vacuum created by the counter current produced by the blast from the nozzle I1, to prevent mote material being drawn downward from the moting chamber B, which would contaminate the lint. The interposition of the nozzle I4 nullies to an extent this prior function of the said air leak, since the blast from nozzle I4 does entrain air from the moting chamber and cause the withdrawal o1' some motes, which is all right, as the motes so withdrawn will be carried off into the mote chute I9.

The main function of the passage 23 is to give access of air to the otherwise vacuous space between the nozzles I4 and I1, the air thus admitted being drawn downward between the said blasts from nozzles I4 and I1, filling the vacuum in the angle between said blasts and keeping them from being drawn together, particularly adjacent the apex of the angle between them. Lower down, since the blasts from the nozzles I4 and I1 are divergent, the interposed layer of entrained air expands, loses its pressure and becomes relatively ineffective in keeping the blasts apart, so it becomes necessary to supplement the air supply to the space between said blasts.

With this end in view, the adjacent walls 24 and 25 of the lint duct and mote chute are fiat, spaced and parallel, defining a passage 26 which is open at one end to atmosphere, and which at the other communicates with the space between the lint duct and the blast from nozzle I4, so as to supply air to said space, satisfying the localized vacuum caused by entrainment of air by the blast from nozzle I4. This prevents said blast from veering toward the lint duct.

The air entering the passage 26 does not continue countercurrentwise to the entrained air flow from the passage 23, for it is shortly turned, responsive to the draft in the mote chute I9.

The flow of clean air entering from the passage 23 between the blast from the lint removing nozzle and that from the mote sweeping nozzle at less pressure than that of said blasts, sweeps against the column of removed lint about to enter the lint duct and demotes the surface of the lint contacted by said air now.

Since the source from which conduit I 2 derives its pressure is independent of the source which supplies conduit I5, it is possible to have pressure in the conduit I2 of greater or less intensity than in conduit I5. When pressure in conduit I2 is greater, the escaping air from the vents 28 of the nozzle I4 will have greater velocity than air escaping from the nozzle I1. It is possible to have a much greater velocity in the air escaping from nozzle I4, and since the air stream from nozzle I4 is traveling faster, it tends to draw the slower moving air from nozzle 111 out, and in do ing so pulls .trash away from thelint duct, ytherefby providing 4a Ameans to shield the opening of the lint duct I8 from contamination; :The means for regulating the respective pressures' of the independent pressure sources may be the regulation of the speed of the blowers, not shown, which supply the pressures.

The air .supplied 'by the conduit tlf! to the lint sweeping nozzle I4 may be preheated by `any sui-table means, not shown, in order to .dry zthe moisture out ofthe lint fibers while they are in a thin stream attached to thesaw teethand still encircling the periphery of the saws. Thisprovides greater cleansing facilities, for molle material is more readily removed from dry lint, .and cotton containing above average moisture can be ginned when hot air is introduced at this point.

While I have in the above description disclosed what I believe to be a preferred and practical form of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the details of construction and the arrangement of parts, as shown and described, are by way of example and not to be construed as limiting the invention.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. In a cotton gin, ginning ribs and a saw cylinder having spaced blades operating between said ribs, a mote duct having an enlarged mouth extending lengthwise across sai-d saw cylinder overlying an arcuate portion of said saw cylinder adjacent the point of emergence of the saw blades from between said ribs forming a moting chamber into which relatively large mote material is centrifugally thrown, a nozzle opening in said duct directed away from said saws for directing a mote-withdrawing air blast into said duct, a second nozzle below said first nozzle extending lengthwise across the saw cylinder so positioned as to direct an air blast chordally of the saws for sweeping the relatively small mote material from the teeth-engaging lint without dislodging the lint from said teeth, a third nozzle also extending longitudinally across the saw cylinder so positioned as to direct an air blast tangentially of the saw teeth in the direction of rotation of said saw cylinder for removing lint from said teeth, a mote duct and a lint duct in receiving position respectively for mote material carried by said lint sweeping blast and lint carried by said lint removing blast, means for maintaining vacuum in said last mentioned mote duct, and means for supplying air under pressure to said nozzles.

2. In the combination as claimed in claim 1, the means for supplying air under pressure to said second and third nozzles being independent sources.

3. In a cotton gin, ginmng ribs and a saw cylinder having spaced blades operating between said ribs, a mote duct having an enlarged mouth extending lengthwise across said saw cylinder overlying an arcuate portion of said saw cylinder adjacent the point of emergence of the saw blades from between said ribs forming a moting chamber into which relatively large mote material is centrifugally thrown, a nozzle opening in said duct directed away from said saws and directing a mote-withdrawing air blast into said duct, a second nozzle below said first mentioned nozzle extending lengthwise across the saw cylinder having vents registering with the spaces between the saw blades shaped to direct air blasts chordally of said saws against the sides thereof in circumferential zones of the teeth for sweeping mote material from lint carried by said teeth without dislodging said lint `from said teeth, a third nozzle also extending `longitudinally across the saw cylinder so positioned kas to direct an air blast tangentially of 'the `saw Ateeth yin the direction -o'f rotation of said saw Acylinder for removlng 'the lint from said teeth, a mote duct yand a lint duct in yreceiving Lposition respectively for mote material carried by -said lint sweeping `blast and iintrcarried by said lint removing blast, means for maintainingvacuum in said last meintioned mote duct, and means for supplying air under pressure to said nozzles. l

` 4. In a gin, in combination with a saw cylinder, a nozzle so positioned as to `direct an air blast tangentially of the saw 4teeth 1in the direction of rotation of said saw cylinder for removing lint from the teeth, and a second nozzle adjacent the rst, anterior thereto, so positioned as to direct an air blast chordally of the saws for sweeping motes from the lint engaged by the teeth but without dislodging the lint from the teeth, a lint duct and a mote duct in receiving position respectively for lint carried by said lint removing blast and motes carried by said lint sweeping blast, means for maintaining vacuum in said mote duct, means for supplying air under pressure to said nozzles, and an air duct having its mouth extending lengthwise of said saw cylinder, opening between said nozzles, having its remote end communicating with atmosphere, for supplying a curtain of air between the blasts from said nozzles, induced by said blasts.

5. In a cotton gin, in combination with a. saw cylinder, a nozzle so positioned as to direct an air blast tangentially of the saw teeth in the drection of rotation of said saw cylinder for removing lint from the teeth, and a second nozzle adjacent the first, anterior thereto, so positioned as to direct an air blast chordally of the saws between them, for sweeping motes from the lint engaged by the teeth but without dislodging the lint from the teeth, a lint duct and a mote duct having their mouths in receiving position respectively for lint carried by said lint removing blast and motes carried by said lint sweeping blast, means for maintaining vacuum in said mote duct, means for supplying air under pressure to said nozzles, air ducts having their mouths extending lengthwise of said saw cylinder, opening respectively between said first and second nozzles and between the mouths of said lint and mote ducts, said air ducts having their remote ends communicating with atmosphere for supplying air between the blasts from said nozzles, induced by said blasts, for keeping said blasts separated.

6. In a cotton gin, in combination with a saw cylinder, a nozzle so positioned as to direct an air blast tangentially of the saw teeth in the direction of rotation of said saw cylinder for removing lint from the teeth, and a second nozzle adjacent the first, anterior thereto, so positioned as to direct an air blast chordally of the saws for sweeping motes from the lint engaged by the teeth but without dislodging the lint from the teeth, a lint duct and a mote duct in receiving position respectively for lint carried by said lint removing blast and motes carried by said lint sweeping blast, means for maintaining vacuum in said mote duct, said lint removing and mote sweeping nozzles being connected to relatively independent sources of air under pressure whereby different discharge velocities may be obtained.

7. In a cotton gin in combination with a saw cylinder, a nozzle extending lengthwise across said saw cylinder so positioned as to direct an air blast tangentially of the saw teeth in the direction of rotation of said saw cylinder for removing lint from said teeth, and a second nozzle also extending lengthwise across said saw cylinder adjacent the first, anterior thereto, having vents registering with the spaces between the saw blades shaped to direct air blasts chordally of said saws against the sides thereof in the circumferential zones of the teeth for sweeping mote material from the lint carried by said teeth without dislodging said lint from said teeth, a lint duct and a mote duct in receiving positions respectively for lint carried by said lint removing blast and motes from said lint sweeping blast, means for maintaining vacuum in said mote duct,

said lint removing and mote sweeping nozzles being connected to relatively independent sources of air under pressure whereby different discharge velocities may be obtained.

JEFFREY J. WALLACE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number` Name Date 202,927 Burt, Jr Apr. 30, 1878 1,401,439 Pettit Dec. 27, 1921 1,642,982 Willis Sept. 20, 1927 1,725,268 Hancock Aug. 20, 1929 2,204,803 Griin June 18, 1940 2,219,402 Sanders Oct. 29, 1940 

